INDIANAPOLIS - The Colts are heading into Sunday’s trip to Jacksonville with more than a divisional game on their hands. This week has already turned into a clear sign of where the franchise is headed, and Wednesday only added to that picture.
Josh Downs made his stance known when asked about trade talk surrounding his name. The fourth-year wide receiver, whose rookie contract expires after this season, said he is open to moving on.
“I’m open to whatever,” Downs said repeatedly. “Whatever comes my way comes my way.”
Downs was also asked whether he wanted a contract extension with the Colts before this season began.
“…I wouldn’t say that.”
If Downs ends up being dealt, he would follow DeForest Buckner and Quenton Nelson as players who leave while on expiring contracts.
Shane Steichen addressed the situation as well, saying Jonathan Taylor has not asked for a trade. When it came to Buckner and Nelson, Steichen did not go into detail about whether either player requested a move. He did, however, lay out the message he delivered to the team Wednesday morning.
“I didn’t sugarcoat it. Anytime you lose those guys, they’re tough to replace.
But we got to understand that we’re in a business, and this is a business. Tough decisions have to be made in a franchise and everyone’s got a job to do.
And we all signed up for it. And we get paid to do a job and we’ve got to improve and get better every single day.”
The Colts are 2-5, and the front office’s decision to move on from Buckner and Nelson makes one thing plain: the organization is looking at 2026 very differently now. That shift is happening in October, which is unusual enough on its own. Even so, there are still 10 games left on the schedule, and Sunday offers a chance - however slim - to make the AFC South race feel a little less settled.
Jacksonville is 4-2 and sitting atop the division. The Colts would love to win there for the first time since 2014, but the Jaguars have also made life miserable for them in that building for years. The list of quarterbacks who have led Jacksonville to home wins over Indianapolis in that stretch includes Trevor Lawrence, Blake Bortles, Gardner Minshew and Cody Kessler.
The Colts also have to sort out life without Nelson. Rookie fourth-round pick Jalen Farmer is the next man up at left guard.
Farmer played right guard in college, but now the Colts are asking him to slide into a new role. On paper, the interior of the line remains stocked with draft capital: Farmer, fourth-round pick Tanor Bortolini at center, and 2024 third-round pick Matt Goncalves at right guard.
Farmer has played only three offensive snaps so far, but the Colts clearly drafted him with a bigger role in mind.
The injuries in the secondary are piling up, too. Sauce Gardner was week-to-week with a left calf issue entering the Vikings game and missed it.
Justin Walley left that game early with a knee injury. Cam Taylor-Britt landed on injured reserve after the game because of a groin injury, which will keep him out at least four games.
The Colts responded by bringing up Keeneth Harris from the practice squad. Gardner said Wednesday that he hopes to practice this week, and the team is still holding out hope Taylor-Britt can return later this season.
Gardner also spoke about the difference between how the Colts were viewed a year ago and how they look now.
“I feel like I’m fit for a rebuild, anything,” Gardner, who is under contract through 2030, said. “I feel like we can turn this all around and be contenders.
I’m not the type of guy to say that for no reason. I truly believe in that and I truly know that’s going to happen.”
On defense, rookie linebacker CJ Allen was supposed to start against the Vikings before an ankle injury in Thursday’s practice knocked him out of that plan. Lou Anarumo said Allen would have worked as the MIKE linebacker, with Akeem Davis-Gaither still handling the green dot duties beside him. If Allen is able to get back this week, he could be in line for the biggest role of his rookie season.
The matchup itself brings another problem for Indianapolis: Jacksonville’s run defense. The Jaguars have allowed just 3.2 yards per carry, the best mark in the NFL, which makes the task of getting Jonathan Taylor rolling even tougher. That challenge grows if the rain that has been forecast actually shows up.
And this week comes with another wrinkle. Because the Colts are playing their eighth straight game to open the season, they’re using a Wednesday walkthrough instead of their usual Wednesday-through-Friday practice schedule. It’s a standard move for Steichen as the team grinds through the season, but this week it also fits the moment: fewer reps, more uncertainty, and a roster that looks different by the day.
One more note on how far this has gone: the last time the Colts took the field without Nelson or Buckner on the roster was New Year’s Eve 2017. That game ended with Jacoby Brissett and Indianapolis beating T.J.
Yates and the Texans, and the Colts’ points came from Jack Doye, Marlon Mack, Adam Vinatieri and Hasson Ridgeway. That’s how long it has been since this organization looked like this.
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